


Heart of Apocalypse

by purinren



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Detectives, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Prison, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Gore, Blood and Violence, Crimes & Criminals, Detective!Levi/Prisoner!Eren, Detectives, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Injury, M/M, Modern Era, Murder Mystery, Mystery, Plot Twists, Prison, Revenge, Romance, Sad with a Happy Ending, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, Violence, prisoner
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:41:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27294370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purinren/pseuds/purinren
Summary: Eren discovers that his boyfriend, Jean, is murdered in such cold-blooded way until he can't be recognized anymore. Enraged, he takes tortuous paths to seek the truth and revenge that eventually lead him into meeting a stern looking senior detective, Levi. What lies beneath those dark oculi? What inconvenient truth shall he uncover?A fanfiction of Attack on Titan.Levi x Eren, Jean x Eren.All credits go to Hajime Isayama.Tags and characters will be updated as the story develops.
Relationships: Carla Yeager/Grisha Yeager, Jean Kirstein & Eren Yeager, Jean Kirstein/Eren Yeager, Levi & Eren Yeager, Levi/Eren Yeager
Comments: 14
Kudos: 18





	1. It Went Downhill

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, so here it goes. I actually had posted this one on Wattpad and FFnet, but it seems like AO3 is a place where I actually use more frequently so I decided to post here as well.
> 
> This story is not something where you will find happy moments as it is pretty dark and all sad. I will also mention that this has several triggers which I have already put in the tags, so beware!
> 
> Happy reading!

If one could say there would be light at the end of the tunnel, Eren should disagree to the utmost point.

Bullshit.

Everything was nothing but dullness. He could not see anything which screamed light or faith. Rays of hope had left him the moment the mortifying news came around about thirty hours ago. He had lost the love of his life, forever. It was pretty much still unbelievable. That horse face who was once his beloved, one and only, who lifted him up when the world had turned its back on him, who introduced him to definite form of jubilation and euphoria,

Jean Kirschtein was murdered in the most horrifying way no sane human could ever imagine.

...

_Drip, drip, drip._

5 A.M.

That early morning, clutch of coldness from lasting heavy rain had woken him up from the deep slumber, which was quite a rarity, for the lack of warmth was a thing of the old days. He usually woke up enclosed in the depth of warmth, with Jean's arms around his body for them to share bodily heat. Such a simple yet comforting gesture which made Eren felt as if he had nothing to worry about.

"Jean...?"

Obviously, not now. He had every single reason to be worried, considering this dreadful hunch suddenly struck him.

In a hurried fashion, the brunette jumped out of bed after noticing the oddity. He remembered clearly last night they were sleeping together! Where was Jean? Just before he could proceed further to analyze the situation of the missing partner, loud voice boomed from his phone. Very annoying. Better be something serious or else he would just scream at them to mind their own shit and not reach for him this early.

"Yes?" Groggily he answered, still trying to completely bring himself back to earth while rubbing his tired eyes. A very fretful reply followed next, almost immediately it took him almost five seconds to register it was his mother Carla talking on the phone.

"What is it, mom?"

Strange. Very strange indeed, Eren thought.

Carla knew very well how her son hated being called so early in the morning and Eren had made it clear to her for many times already. But this could not wait. It was too big of a dispatch, so to say.

"Eren, honey," said her with quivering voice, "I've got a very bad news about Jean."

_Jean?! What's going on?_

"Turn on your TV or news portal or whatever platform you can get your hands on. Check on the headli—"

Carla's voice was heard no more. His brain quickly thought of his lover. Eren was scared for Jean's well being in case his mother's words were correct. Loud thumps of his heartbeats could possibly be audible now, as he nervously waited for the TV to turn on. Firstly it was static screen showing up due to the heavy pour ruining the signal transmission, but then Eren got impatiently furious and decided to hit the poor TV. There was buzzing and it sounded like the speaker would blow up. Thankfully, soon after the quick struggle, the news channel popped up.

Eren dropped his phone.

"This can't be happening."

His eyes widened at the news.

The lady reporter announced that there was a dead man found on a culvert near an infamous gay bar he frequently visited with Jean. A homeless old man who discovered the poor guy was just about to build a temporary shelter near the crime scene. Instead of eventually settling down for a place where he could cover himself from rain and such, he was presented a dead body. As horrible as it already was, the body did not appear to be in the nicest condition. Only blurred picture that was pasted on the screen, it being too graphic to be presented to public.

According to the old man's testimony, he noticed splatters of red and faint smell of blood shortly after his arrival to the spot. At first, he firmly believed it was his nose acting up again and the splatters were just some random paint spilled by delinquents of the area in acts of vandalism. However, the stench got even stronger, much to his curiosity. He could only wonder what and where the source was. Turned out, it came from the dead victim who was bludgeoned and damaged violently until they could not recognize the face. Police report stated that they found an ID inside the pocket of denim jacket—or what was left of—worn by the victim. It belonged to Jean Kirschtein, a 26 years old digital start up manager who recently got an award for being one of the most impactful youth figures in town.

There was no mistaking.

Eren's body froze and his heart dropped onto the stomach upon hearing such shocking news. At the same time, numbness began emerging. Tears did not even dare finding their ways to wet his cheeks as they were saved for later if he really needed to let go of his emotions. With all his might, Eren hoped real desperately that he was only dreaming a very bad dream and later he would wake up and reunite with Jean like they did every morning. To no avail, no sign that everything was just imaginary— in contrary, it was all too real.

Soon enough, thousands of what ifs filled Eren's head as a manifestation of massive lump of denial he had. The news said that the victim's face was disfigured, meaning that the authorities had only taken conclusion they were really Jean from the ID card. There should be another convincing possibility that someone stole Jean's ID card and put it into the unfortunate victim's pocket to mislead police investigation, therefore making the culprit very hard to capture.

Until the victim was officially proven to be Jean Kirschtein, Eren would hang on to the hope that his beloved was still out there somewhere, safe and sound. Maybe Jean stumbled upon someone bad and got involved and set up in this hideous case. Maybe Jean messed up a big time but not to the point he got somebody so enraged they would kill him. Maybe the victim just happened to have eerily the same name and similar face as his lover. A doppelgänger, perhaps. Who knew? As much as the latter did not sound to be valid enough, Eren could not just rule out any possibility, even the weirdest among them all.

He had to believe that Jean was still alive. He had to.

Eren picked up his phone, now that it had crack on the screen running from the top right corner almost to the button from the earlier dropping. He called up his mom again after the surge of shock had subsided for a little bit. "Mom. I'm going to the police station now. Please don't call me for the time being."

"Let me accompany you, dear. Your dad will be coming along as well."

"I can take care of myself. Besides, I want to be alone right now."

"Eren—"

"I'm hanging up. Talk to you later."

_Beep_.

Enough with the worrywart mother. Although it was actually a very normal response coming from Carla, considering Eren had already introduced Jean to his parents since three years ago right after he came out and they had gotten along really well, almost treating Jean like their own son. For the time being, Eren wanted nothing more than a clear head and silence so that he could drive safely to the police station to obtain all the important informations he needed.

After changing into what Eren considered as proper clothing consisted of T-shirt layered with plaid shirt, he strode to the front door and grabbed the key to his BMW. He did not even bother filling his empty stomach eventhough hunger was undeniable. Rain instantly greeted him along with chilly gust of wind, sending shiver down his spine. In times like this, he only wished to be hugged by Jean so that the coldness went away quickly. Eren missed Jean so much. While the melancholic thought found its way creeping into his head, he brushed it off so as not to distract him too much. He needed to concentrate. He had to be strong amidst uncertainties.

Loud roaring from the car's engine signaled that he was ready to go. Drips of water struck the windows, forward and rear ones, as he drove through the heavy rain. Only silence accompanied him, for the radio was not turned on. He could not bear listening to songs that reminded of the time they spent together while things seemed like they were out of hand. It was just not right. Oddly enough, the sound of rain hitting the ground gave soothing effect to his nerves that had been on edge since he woke up. Perhaps, it was the steady rhythm that prompted a sense of certainty, something Eren longed at the current moment.

As expected, the traffic was bad despite being very early in the morning. No matter how troubled he felt, it seemed like the world would not stop moving at its own pace. Life went on as if every event was insignificant against its grandness. Us humans could do nothing but to accept the way it worked. Even if in the end Eren received the worst case, what could he do in his remaining power, anyway? Scream and beg at God to return Jean's life? That would only got him laughed at! He scoffed at the perception itself and proceeded to drive, though almost crashing into a van because he spaced out for a few seconds. One hell of a ride.

After spending almost an hour and half for a supposed to be thirty minutes drive, Eren finally found himself parking at the police station. Rain had stopped, leaving only small drips of water. The place was crowded by reporters, he could assure a hundred percent it was due to the awful news this morning. A deep breath was taken right before he stepped out of the car and before Eren could know it, the reporters began surrounding—if not cornering—him and throwing series of questions.

_**Are you a relative of the victim?** _

_**Did you get a hunch prior to the incident?** _

_**How do you feel regarding this case?** _

****_Is it true the victim was actually gay?_  
  


All, of course, got ignored by Eren who quietly avoided the crowd and entered the station. Just because Jean was a little bit of a celebrity, everybody seemed to be prying into every single personal detail now that he was presumed to be dead. Could not they understand the circumstances? It was very hard for Eren already, for God's sake! Good thing his parents did not tag along or else they would also be a target for their newspaper materials.

Having never actually been into a police station before, he was amazed at how clean and serene it was. No dim lightings nor screaming suspects being dragged in handcuffs like he had seen many times on TV. He turned his head around, looking for a sign of any receptionist table if available. Rather than finding that, he got a single pat on the shoulder, much to his surprise. Thankfully he did not jump like some kid exaggeratedly reacted to a physical touch.

"Are you Eren Jaeger?"

"I am."

"I am Officer Braus. I will escort you to the autopsy room if you may. Please follow me."

...

Little did Eren know, someone out there plastered a wide, wicked smile across their face upon his misery. The scheme had worked so perfectly, it had no flaw.

_Have fun suffering, Eren Jaeger._


	2. Doomed to the Core

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! This chapter mentions explicit gore and injuries, so if you don't feel comfortable reading it, do skip this chapter. I hope you guys enjoy this one. Kudos and comments, also sharing will be very appreciated. Cheers!

A normality it was for humans to amble so that they could reach the desired destination, be it with wide, steady steps or smaller ones. But one thing in common, they would gladly greet the destination with open arms when they arrived. Even feeling so triumphant due to the success of reaching the desired place.

Definitely not happening with Eren at the moment. Fear and anticipation would be racing with one another, trying to claim a sole place within his mind as he was led to the autopsy room where the said Jean's body was kept in. Because what lied in front of his eyes was the moment of truth itself, whether he would jump with joy if the dead body did not belong to his beloved, no matter if it was considered amoral considering death was involved, or his hope would go down the hill very quickly if he finally discovered that the horrible news was correct after all.

For whatever it would be, his heart should be prepared to the best capability.

The chilly aisle did not help calming his nerves as they eventually found themselves right in front of the room gloomy metal door. Every single bad thoughts ran inside his mind. _Please, don't let it be Jean. Please. Anyone but Jean. Dear God, I beg you._

His feet would not budge from the spot where he stood as fear and uneasiness began swallowing him. Hands trembling, lips quivering, anticipation lingering.

"-eger. Mister Eren Jaeger."

The policewoman's voice managed to bring Eren back to his consciousness from racing thought.

"Oh- yes, sure. Which way should I go to?"

Bewilderment could been obviously across the woman's countenance almost instantly as the inquiry was made. She knew it that Eren was not in his best focus. "We are already here, so you don't have to go anywhere else."

"My bad," came a quick response. Eren could not even spare some time cursing himself like usual for being an absolute idiot when not in his finest state. A loud creaking noise coming after a push on the door gave even more eerie impression of the place, aside from the fact it was pretty much dim lighted. The emerging sight was peculiar in every possible way— as expected from a morgue. It was very cold and had a slight stench of rotting flesh mixed with blood. Rows of chillers which were supposed to keep dead bodies stacked up high along with a metal table in the middle of the room. From movies he had seen, Eren could deduce it was where the bodies were cut open to be investigated. But instead of body, there was only a big black glop resting on top of it.

 _This morgue is weird,_ Eren thought.

As if things could not get even more awful than this, a figure with glasses suddenly showed up from the middle of nowhere while bringing an Erlenmeyer flask filled with blood and a scalpel. They had a very broad smile crossing their face as they inched closer to the visitors, much the contradictory of Eren's frown of distress. Eye bags, however, were subtly visible. Being a forensic doctor was no easy job, eh? That made him jump for a little bit, but the policewoman did not seem to be surprised even the slightest. The only possible explanation was that she was used to the bizarre situation so often, she did not even bother to be shocked.

"Doctor Hanji. This is Mister Eren Jaeger, the one who wants to check the body which just arrived this early morning. Please help him."

"Oh~ Such a sweet boy. Will do, Sasha!"

Eren's nerves twitched at every end as the said doctor addressed him so casually that way. Both of them clearly had not met each other before and therefore it was uncommon yet shocking for the event to occur. However, he decided that he could not be bothered with trivial matters anymore. He must focus on identifying the dead body to see if it was not Jean after all. Yes, he still hanged onto the empty hope.

Shortly after, Officer Braus went out from the morgue, leaving Eren with the self proclaimed crazy doctor. The air felt so tense, but it most likely came from himself who radiated antipathy towards the doctor. Still, they did not seem to notice, being a carefree person they were.

"So! Let's make this quick so I can finish my job and go back to sleeping. I hate it when I got a case so early in the morning."

"Sure."

In a split second, he somehow felt like he could relate to the same matter. Who the hell wanted to do their business when rooster even had not woken up yet with its ear-piercing clucking? Just before Eren could revoke his newly developed sentiments for the doctor merely because they had similar standing in working so early, Hanji draped their arm on Eren's shoulders as they led him closer to the chillers stacks.

Scratch it.

They were being overly friendly.

That black glop, again, managed to shift Eren's attention. He halted just before they sooner or later reached the chiller and pointed to the subject of interest. "Random question, doctor. Why is it that stuff resting there instead of a body?" His interest came from watching too much crime TV shows, if Hanji should know where did the inquiry come from.

"Oh. That." A thundering guffawing followed shortly. Not the most respectable act in a morgue, definitely. "I forget leaving it there for almost two days! It is just a piece of a specimen from a rotting internal organ. I guess it is a... left kidney? You do not have to worry about that, Mister Eren! I will get rid of it as soon as you confirm the identity from the body."

No wonder he suddenly detected the level of uneasiness skyrocketed. This doctor surely was a one in a million to have left an organ out as if it was just some unused scrap of paper! A nervous, forced laughter erupted from Eren's mouth. He would remember this day as one of the most inexplicable days of his life.

Enough with that unlucky left kidney made as an experimental specimen by Doctor Hanji. It was getting serious now. Hanji's hand reached onto the handle of the top most chiller and began pulling it. Nonetheless, it somehow got stuck. "Hold on for a minute." They tried again but it did not budge at all to the point they thought it was such a great idea to bang on the chiller. Now Eren worried something terrible must have happened to the body inside of it. What if it broke the intact limb because of the force exerted by Hanji? Just imagining it made him shiver already. If one day Eren died and so unlucky that his body was sent to the morgue with Doctor Hanji as the one in charge, he would rather just be sent straight to hell than having to face this kind of monstrosity. That body was once a living and walking human, for God's sake!

For this establishment seemed to be under the control of Hanji, Eren could do nothing but just watch the rigorous act happening right in front of his eyes. Eventually after the treatment with addition of faint cursing from Hanji, the chiller got released and could be pulled out.

That meant the _moment of truth_.

The lad gulped his saliva in suspense. The body was revealed starting from the top part of the head. Eren recognized the hair color too well. Such kind of dirty blond hair only belonged to Jean! Shit, shit, shit. Dear God, please. Not Jean Kirschtein. Not the love of his life. It must be other person having similar hair color like Jean, right?

 _Right_?

Finally Hanji was able to fully retract the sliding metal plate of the chiller, presenting the body that was kept inside of it. In that instant moment, Eren's heart sank to deepest part of ocean of despair. His prayer was not heard after all. As soon as his eyes caught a glimpse of a skull tattoo on the left chest of the body, he could certainly confirm that dead body indeed belonged to Jean. He got that tattoo when they were on a trip to Shibuya last year. His hands trembled, his leg weakened, his body froze.

 _This is beyond unfair_.

"JEAN! No, no, no! This can't be real! Doctor Hanji, please tell me this is only a nightmare. Please, I beg you."

"I'm very sorry for your loss, Mister Eren. I can assure you this is all nothing but the reality."

Hanji knew too well how one could break down like a little, pathetic child as they discovered it was their loved one sprawled rigidly in the chiller. That was why they tried to be all cheery whenever a relative came to confirm the identity. It was a way to console them so they were not too taken aback from the saddening revelation. The doctor could only stand on their position while the other figure was sobbing so sadly. Being a tough man, Eren had sworn to himself that he would only cry if his parents died. Other than that, he would keep his tears at bay. But this was Jean, anyway. His boyfriend meant the whole world to him and Jean was like his own family member as well. Eren naturally cried for him.

Moreover, who could hold back their tears if their precious one was found in a condition so gruesome they could not even identify the face? Yes, Jean was found half-rotting. The cause of death apparently was a fatal hit by blunt object on his head according to Hanji's field observation when Jean was found at the first place. Only his limbs were found to be perfectly intact, although both of his ring fingers seemed to be removed and nowhere to be found. Horrible. While his face was practically crushed and ruined until he could not be recognized anymore. Those gleaming eyes were no more, gouged out until the only thing left was one and a half empty dark red sockets. His left eye was still there but only half. His lips, which were used to be kissing Eren so passionately that it led them having sex in the middle of the day, were ripped out and lacerated on both sides up to his ears area. Jagged, meaning that the culprit either had a very deep grudge against Jean or they were in rush. Speaking of ears, they were also removed from the usual place and sewn onto Jean's forehead. That definitely indicated a method to mock the poor guy. Aside from that, stabs and slits were scattered everywhere to the point his cheeks were almost hollowed out due to the fact that chunks of meat were removed. Heck, Eren could even see the cheek bones popping out!

That cruelty explained how Eren could confirm it was really Jean's body simply only by noticing the tattoo as the face was devilishly destroyed, almost a hundred percent assured it was with hatred. But, why? How could one despise Jean Kirschtein so passionately? That guy, although Eren admitted he had a horse like face at times it got annoying, he was very nice and would never do harm. He always helped those who were in dire need of help. He played with kids from orphanage and gave them candies. He cared for them a lot since he lost his parents when he was still kid. A very kind man at heart. He also did not have any problem with drugs, even he helped Eren stop smoking.

 _Jean was Eren's world. His_ **_everything_ ** _._

And this culprit, whoever they were, dared to take Eren's sunshine! How dare, how dare, how dare! Eren would make sure that devil would pay the price and burn down in the deepest pit of hell. That day would come, he assured that.

...

After spending almost twenty five minutes identifying the body and crying his eyes out, Eren finally let a tired sigh out. He felt numb. He was too tired to even argue with the doctor who began trying to cheer him up again by throwing him words of encouragement. The moment deemed so unreal. It was still too big of a shock that came without any warning. What remained was only regret from not saying _I love you_ many times enough when Jean was alive. To let him know how much Eren loved and treasured him. But nothing could be done now, could not it? The incident had already happened and the only thing he could do now was to accept the fact no matter how hard it might seem.

It was a miracle, so to say, that Eren did not faint after seeing a horrible view of his dead boyfriend's body. Was it really utter sadness that beat the nauseating fear? Who knew. Truth to be told, Hanji pitied him, denoted by a saddened expression adorning their face. But their job must be done and that could not be achieved if they spent too much time feeling sorry for this particular young man. With their fifteen years of experience working in this field, the sight of someone crying desperately at the realization became something usual to watch but somehow, this one case made their hunch screamed as if there was impending storm. Hanji firmly hoped that their hunch would be proven otherwise. Soon after all the business involving a bit of administrative matter and whatnots with Eren was done, the lad managed to show a hint of faint smile and muttered 'thank you' to Hanji, who gave him light taps on his shoulder before he left the morgue. Eren realized the doctor never meant any harm since the very beginning. They were just trying to help him out.

...

Persistence was really something. Even if the brunette had spent a long time inside the police station, the crowding reporters still remained at their spot exactly when he arrived earlier. Flashes of camera immediately greeted him as he stepped out, yet he could not be bothered anymore since he was too exhausted to deal with all these stuffs. Precisely the same way he did when he arrived, Eren completely ignored them and walked straight to his car. A loud slam on the door was proven enough as a sign for the reporters not to disturb him for the time being.

His mind was really in a jumbled state now. He needed to arrange everything back in place. In an absentminded manner, Eren pressed his mother's number. He just wanted to hear her soothing voice to calm his nerves down before he continued driving or else, he might risk a fatal accident.

"Mom. It is confirmed already. Jean is gone. I'm going to take care of his funeral as soon as I can."

She gasped, "I'm so sorry to hear that, dear Eren. Let me help with everything, okay? Jean was also like our own son anyways. Don't overwork yourself and take some rest when you get home."

"Yes, mom."

"You can stay at our place if you want to for the night."

"I really appreciate that. I think I need some company for today to make sure I don't do something stupid."

There was a moment of silence which lasted almost five seconds. Carla was taken aback that her son, her usually _bright_ son, could say something so desperate like that.

"Don't imply that kind of idea, okay? Just come over and we will accompany you."

"I will see you and dad soon, mom."

"Drive safe."

_Beep._

Eren started the engine and began driving in the direction of his parents' house, which was located about an hour from his and Jean's penthouse. This drive was heartbreakingly quiet. The radio was not even turned on. When he and Jean rode together, they would always play songs from their playlist and sing at the top of their lungs as if tomorrow never came. But now, it was only a sweet memory that was forever imprinted in Eren's mind. That would be treasured as long as he still lived. Rain seemed to be sympathizing with Eren as there was no visible sign it was going to end soon. Along with the steady movement of the wiper that removed excessive rain water gathering on the windshield, Eren's view gradually got blurry.

_Huh?_

Shit. He cried again. Hurriedly he wiped the tears that came down on his cheeks but then again, same as the rain, the tears would not stop. The traffic light came around just right at the moment he wanted to let all his emotions out. Eren cried and cried and cried until he felt better and satisfied. His head felt super heavy, hence ended propping up his head on the steering wheel. He just wanted to wake up from this nightmare.

...

After a drive that felt like an eternity, a familiar sight of bronze gate came to his view. How could he arrive safe and sound, he did not know of. Possibly he was driving in an auto pilot manner. Plus, it seemed like God still protected him, which was something he resented. Not that he was an ungrateful bastard, he had his own reasoning. If God had protected Eren all this time, why did not He do the same with Jean? Why must Jean's life end in a horrendous way? Well, if it really was Jean's fate to die young, at least let he pass in peace. Not like this, no. If only Eren could carry the pain Jean must have felt while meeting his end, he would do that even for thousands of times. All but delusion.

By the time Eren arrived, the rain had stopped, leaving trail of petrichor lingering in the air. He found himself already knocking at the door, waiting for the presence of his parents. As if they already predicted their son's time of arrival, no longer than a minute the door was wide open. The lighting from the house radiated so brightly, it almost made Eren blind for a moment. His eyes which were already stinging from holding back tears got even worse.

"Oh, dear."

"Mom, I- I can't do this." Just like a little child, he fell into the warmth of Carla's open arms. He knew his sobbing sounded real gross and super shaky, but he could not help it. Carla gently patted Eren on his back to comfort him. The Jaeger had not reunited with each other since last christmas party, yet it was such a shame they had to meet now under unhappy circumstances. Grisha could only watch the tearful reunion in silence and slowly pulled them both in to the warmer living room. His family used to be very lively and luckily had never encountered an event so depressing they could only cry before this Jean's incident. Funny was not it, life? One time they felt like they owned every inch of happiness in this world and the other time they felt like being burdened by all the misery the world had to offer.

As a father, he must do something, anything so that Eren could relax at least for a little bit. Their relationship was not as close as Carla's, having gone to numerous amount of overseas trips during Eren's childhood definitely took the toll on him. Grisha inched closer to his wife and son and joined their hug. In trying times like this, they had to support one another. Things must have been rough on Eren's side already and nothing significant he could do to alleviate it. Grisha was no good talker to console his son, that was why he chose to remain silent most of the time. His presence should suffice as a sign that he would be there for his son, no matter what.

Enough with the family hug session. Eren released them all at once and landed a quick kiss on top of his mother's and father's cheek. He felt so much better, though there was still something unresolved within his mind. "Thanks, mom and dad. I'm sorry to trouble you both when I'm already an adult."

"Family has each other's back, Eren. You can always come home to us." Finally came deep voice of Grisha, followed by Carla who gave a soft smile towards his son.

"I'm going to use the bath now and probably rest afterwards. Let me know if dinner is ready."

With that, Eren left his parents upstairs to his childhood bedroom. Nothing much had changed beside the bed cover. This brought him another smile while being overflowed with nostalgic feelings. Back in the olden days where everything seemed to be very nice. Life was good and full of laughter. If only he could turn back time. He shook his head and decided it was not good to keep having 'what ifs', for that only made him miserable each passing second. He knew he had to live in the present and focus on the occurences taking place around him. That way, it should be easier to know the truth behind Jean's death and find probability to seek revenge. He would not just stay low and accept such cruel reality. If the world was being unfair, he also had every right to be angry and demanded answers.

...

He finished bath soon after and lied down on his bed. His body ached almost everywhere and Eren just realized he had not checked his phone for some hours already. As expected, the notifications came like flash flood and made his phone hot. There were also calls from many unknown numbers, which he suspected belonged to newspaper offices. "Come on, people. Can you just shut the fuck up and give me some space for a while?" But oh well, who the hell cared? They were just going to dig informations out of him for their own purposes; money and fame. Pathetic.

However, among the incoming messages, Eren spotted one which got him fully intrigued. The sender was undisclosed, said it was from unknown number, but the content surely indicated the contrary.

 _Eren Jaeger, I know how devastated you are at the moment. I am very sorry for your loss. I'm one of the detectives working in this case. If you happen to see this message at last, I order you to send an e-mail to the town police's official email ASAP. You can find it online. That way, you can be informed immediately regarding the update of this case, because there is a certain situation where the informations can't be made to be public._ _You can send anything_ _for the body of the email, just state that it is your email so that they can reach you back. Do not look for the sender of this message. I shall present myself to you soon._

_Sincerely, L.A._

As suspicious as the message seemed to be, Eren somehow got very fired up. His hunch told him that a saving grace had finally come and he was ready to pick it up anytime. By the time he finished reading the message, Carla already called him to come down for a dinner yet he refused to, saying he would catch up later. Of course, there might be some lead for the case, although he knew it was beyond his power. He should have just let the authorities took care of the case, but he felt like he was too useless if he just stayed and did nothing to help. The text message he got appeared to be some strong evidence that he should also move and get involved. In the end, the referred email address was found and quickly he typed the body of the mail.

 _This is Eren Jaeger. I send this email to notify my contact. Someone with initial L.A. sent me a text message to do this. He said that he is a detective working on today's case. I hope I'm not being scammed._ _Please let me know._

_Sincerely, Eren Jaeger._

Eren could not back down now. He had to discover the truth.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter! I’d appreciate it if you do leave some kudos and comments— or even share this fanfiction. I shall update soon.


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